In search of a better life

More than 1 600 migrants have died in the rst four months of this year while attempting to cross to
Europe from Africa. According to UN ofcials, part of the reason for the jump in deaths is that Italian
coastguard ships and patrol ships operating under an EU mission are not able to reach boats as fast as
the Italian navy ships that patrolled the waters until their mission was scrapped last year.
That mission, named Mare Nostrum and launched in October 2013 by the Italian government, routinely

patrolled large swaths of the Mediterranean Sea, including areas closer to Libyas shores. But with
growing opposition to illegal immigration and the $10 million monthly price tag of the mission, Italian
ofcials cancelled the effort in 2014, pressuring EU ofcials to step in. The EUs Operation Triton, a
lower-cost mission, patrols only up to 48km off the Italian coast, and has been called useless by
refugee aid groups

Where are the migrants from and why

are they eeing?
1

Last year, the majority of the refugees eeing to Italy were Syrians
trying to escape civil war there

Now, many Syrians are trying to cross into Europe through Greece.

Most of the migrants on the Libya-to-Italy route are largely hailing

from Eritrea, where thousands of citizens are trying to ee forced
conscription

Others are eeing from war, oppression and poverty in Somalia,

Ethiopia, Mali, Gambia, Nigeria and Guinea, among other countries

Most are embarking from Libya, which has become the jumping-off
point for migrants trying to reach Europe by sea

EU population projections
EU data show that the regions population will suffer a serious decline without
migration. In effect, migration will be necessary to keep the regions economy
aoat
Million
530
520
510
500
490
480
470
460
450
440
430
420
410
400

Death boats
Migrants, trying to reach Greece, are seen onboard a wooden capsized sailboat
that ran aground, while others are seen in the water trying to reach the coast of
the southeastern island of Rhodes on April 20 this year. The coastguard said at
least three people drowned

Monday, 20 April
Ofcials reported receiving at
least two additional calls for help
from several other vessels carrying
about 300 migrants

2015

2020

2025

Detections of illegal crossings

into southern Europe, 2013

Thursday, 16 April

SWEDEN
Moscow

Two weeks ago

At least 400 migrants bound for Europe are believed
to have died at sea when another wooden shing boat
capsized, according to the International Organisation for
Migration. A third of those on board are believed to have
been women and children. The boat is believed to have
capsized after the passengers surged to one side of the
boat when they saw rescuers arriving

In the past two

weeks, Italian maritime
forces and commercial
ships rescued about
10 000 migrants
attempting the perilous
sea crossing, according
to the IOM. From April
11 to 13 alone, more
than 5 100 migrants
arrived in Italy in 18
landings, according to
Save the Children

Baghdad
IRAQ

Cairo

LIBYA
Sebha
Al Qatrun

MAURITANIA

SUDAN

Total number of crossings

Nairobi
KENYA

2010

3 500

Western Mediterranean

East Africa

2015

1 600 for
rst four
months of
2015

Major
route

1 187

Connecting
route

Minor
route

2010

Asylum in the world

Switzerland
2.67%

Top 20 countries of origin of

asylum seekers in Europe

Sudan
1.07%

54 631

2014

2015

Uganda
1.79%
Kenya
2.05%

Malaysia
5.17%

3 986

2 200

4 475

5 680

4 714

4 930

4 493

4 932

4 734

5 662
5 303

6 046

3 092

6 805

6 334

2 833

7 594

6 758

6 786

7 668

8 345

7 646

7 793

5 409

11 634

9 795

10 275

7 748

11 323

3 431

12 822

6 497

13 629

9 863
15 029

9 572
15 319

903
Sources: Los Angeles Times, European Commission Migration and Home Affairs, Reuters, BBC, Spanishnewstoday.com

4 982

Australia
1.52%

South Africa
6.66%
15 322

18 081

38 014

15.03%
15 641

16 029

10 586

2013

EU
48.91%

Rwanda
1.24%

Rest of the world

19 116

2012

Egypt
1.02 %

1 051 389

10 953

2011

Turkey
4.43%

US
6.49%

Total number
of asylum applications
worldwide in 2013

36 305

600

Norway
1.96%

Asylum seekers worldwide seem to prefer Europe as a rst choice,

with SA coming in a distant second and the US third

2014

500
20

1 413

Gambia

1 600

1 500

Other

6 260

Senegal

21 222

2014

West Africa

1 107

20 198

2013

Eastern Mediterranean

Somalia

14 386

2012

How many people have died?

MIGRATION ROUTES

1 056

38 149

2011

Central Mediterranean

Syria

23 842

Previous
overall peak
70 000

50 000
500km

Main migration
hub

991

33 161

23 000 for
rst four
months of
2015

150 000
100 000

Migration
route cities

Rest of
southern
Europe
50 000

200 000

Lagos 4

906

48 877

Italy (2014)
170 000

YEMEN

Addis Ababa

Abuja

Spain

Underground cables connect spotlights, noise

and movement sensors, and video cameras to a
central control booth

250 000

873

2013

Oran

Tehran
IRAN

SAUDI ARABIA

Agadez
NIGER

From January to March 2015, 10 165 migrants arrived in

Italy by sea. They came from:

Alboran sea
Melilla

Riyadh

EGYPT

Dirkou
Gao

2015 arrivals so far

Almeria

Morocco

Tripoli

Tamanrasset

Most are trying to reach either Sicily or the Italian

island of Lampedusa, 290km across the sea from
Tripoli

Mali

(Land and sea)

(sea)

Maghnia
Ouargla

They use WhatsApp to keep in touch with relatives

who have made it to Europe. Once at sea, migrants use
satellite phones provided by trafckers to alert rescuers
to their location

Eritrea

40 304

Algiers

ALGERIA

Technology has accelerated migration. Many migrants

carry smartphones, which they can use to check online
reviews of trafckers who advertise through Facebook

2060

Rabat 6m-high fences topped with

Parallel
barbed wire, with watchposts and a road
running between them for police patrols

24 799 Istanbul

Madrid

Trafckers routinely pack larger vessels with layers of

passengers, with many locked in lower decks, greatly
diminishing their odds of surviving a shipwreck

2055

Morocco

6 838

Migrants pay smugglers as much as $1 000

for passage on a boat

Nigeria

(Land)

SPAIN

MOROCCO

2050

Spain

FRANCE

(Land and
sea)

2045

Gibraltar
Cueta

North
Atlantic
Ocean

Kiev
UKRAINE

19 951

Paris

Oujda

They might set sail in shing boats, life rafts, inatable

dinghies, or other rickety vessels that may crash or run
out of fuel

Seville

London

Canary
Islands

What is the migrant journey like?

2040

RUSSIA

UK

41 African migrants are believed to have drowned in

the Mediterranean after the inatable dinghy they were
on sank after leaving Libya. Rescue helicopters retrieved
only four survivors

2035

Spains African enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla have long been a favourite
crossing point for migrants, who storm and scale the border fence en
masse. In 2014, 5 819 people entered Spain illegally through Melilla
and 1 666 through Ceuta nearly 60% of all illegal entries into Spain

Main migration routes into Europe from Africa and the Middle East

As many as 700 people may have died when a migrant boat capsized off
the Libyan coast late Saturday or early Sunday. The 23m-long wooden
shing boat tipped over when panicked passengers shifted to one side as a
cargo ship, which was arriving to intercept them, drew near

2030

Natural change in population

without migration

Back door into Spain

Routes to a better life

Saturday, 18 April

120 595

Population change
with migration

RUDI LOUW, ANDRE GOUWS, Graphics24